"JED" 2005 Obituary

JEDRZEJEWSKA o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-09-02 published
WIECKOWSKI,
Marzena
Marzena WIECKOWSKI passed away quietly on August 31, 2005 after
a courageous battle with cancer. She is survived by her mother
Ewa KOSZYK-
RYNSKA, husband Andrzej
WIECKOWSKI, daughter Eve
JEDRZEJEWSKA,
son-in-law Andre
ALTARAS and grand-daughter Sara
ALTARAS.
Though
taken before her time, she will always be lovingly remembered
for her unending devotion to her family, her absolute love for
her daughter and the utmost pride she took in being Sara's "Babcia".
A memorial service will be held at 2: 00 p.m. on Saturday September
3, 2005 at Morley Bedford Funeral Home, 159 Eglinton Avenue West.
In lieu of flowers, those wishing to can make donations to the
Canadian Cancer Society in memory of Marzena.

JEDWAB o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-08-24 published
SILVER,
Nathan▼
On Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at The Apotex Baycrest Centre in
his 91st year. Father and father-in-law of Linda and Lanny
BAER,
Lorna and Dr. Jack
JEDWAB,
Carla▼ and Harold
FINK, Dr.
Brian▼ and
Shirley SILVER,
Judi▼ and Iain
LANE. Predeceased by brothers Harold
and Sidney. Proud grandfather of eleven and great-grandfather
of six. At Torah Emeth, 1 Viewmount Avenue (Bathurst and Glencarin)
for service on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 11: 00 a.m. Interment
Community Section of Pardes Shalom Cemetery. Shiva 109 Mossgrove
Trail. If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Toronto Chapter) 416-932- 3900.

JEDWAB o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2005-11-10 published
Week Of Remembrance: Henryk
JEDWAB,
Commando (1918-2005)
Intrepid Polish Canadian fought the Germans all the way from
his native land to the slopes of Monte Cassino
By Buzz BOURDON,
Special to The Globe and Mail, Thursday, November
10, 2005, Page S9
Ottawa -- Henryk
JEDWAB and his machine-gun crew looked through
the mist at the killing ground beyond their defensive position.
It was 4: 45 a.m. on September 1, 1939, and
62 German divisions
one million soldiers -- were poised to attack an apprehensive
yet defiant Poland.
Suddenly, Mr.
JEDWAB, an officer cadet with the 84th Polesie
Rifles, saw enemy soldiers running toward him. He and his men
were dug in on the River Warta, near Wielen, in southwestern
Poland.
"Here [came] the mighty Germans in a moment that will be long
in my memory as Henryk
JEDWAB, looking at the enemy, forgot he
had a tongue in his mouth. [My soldiers] looked at me and finally,
almost [at] the last moment, I got one word out: Fire!" wrote
Mr. JEDWAB 60 years later.
"I think the most surprised were the Germans, but it was too
late for them. My machine gun fired and did a very good job.
Ammunition was not wasted. When I met with my commanding officer
[later] and was highly [praised] for 'coolness under fire,' I
answered only, 'Sir, to the glory of the country.' It was the
biggest lie of my life. Could I tell him I was so scared that
I was speechless? Never again in my life [was] I so scared. Once
you start the killing, you realize that it's either you or him
so you decide to be fast and shoot first -- that is the secret
of survival."
After his dramatic baptism of fire, things went rapidly from
bad to worse for Mr.
JEDWAB and the Polish army. The Germans
were vastly superior in both numbers and firepower -- the Poles
had only 40 divisions, including 100 antiquated tanks -- but
Mr. JEDWAB and his regiment kept fighting, suffering heavy losses
during the 30-day war.
To support Poland, France and Britain declared war on Germany
on September 3, but, by September 9, Mr.
JEDWAB and the 30th
Division was finished. Ten days later, he arrived at the Romanian
border and made for France with little or no food, papers or
money. On May 10, 1940, he found himself fighting the German
army a second time. After shooting down a Stuka dive-bomber and
winning a Croix de Guerre with two stars, Mr.
JEDWAB was in Paris
when the Germans entered it on June 13, "they as conquerors and
me again as a 'Polish tourist,' trying my luck somewhere else
and wondering when the tide will turn, how long you may run and
where to."
Mr. JEDWAB made his way over the Pyrenees to Spain, where he
was beaten by police; he then returned to France. He and some
Friends tried again. Their goal was to reach Britain and continue
to fight. "This time, we decided to ride to Madrid by train,
but hiding underneath it on the axles. Not very comfortable,
but free and safe, with the exception of the inconvenience that
over the axles are the toilets and they are used, and unpaying
passengers have no right to complain."
After arriving in Britain, Mr.
JEDWAB spent a few months drilling
on the parade square and languished in an army prison for hitting
a superior officer. He then volunteered for the Special Operations
Executive, which was parachuting agents into German-occupied
France to create havoc. For a year, he worked behind enemy lines
and then escaped back to England and joined a commando force
in early 1942.
Arek BANDZIERZ of Ottawa trained for almost a year with Mr.
JEDWAB.
"You couldn't miss him; he was boisterous, quite self-assured.
You notice people like that. He was a good soldier, people looked
up to him. He was bursting with all kinds of knowledge, but he
couldn't talk about his exploits with Special Operations Executive."
Despite his overwhelming love for his country, Mr.
JEDWAB often
thought he was fighting not just the Germans, but Polish anti-Semitism
as well. As a Polish citizen who happened to be Jewish -- his
well-to-do family had lived in Poland for 200 years -- he suffered
insults and fights on a regular basis.
After intensive training, his commando unit, which was completely
Polish, was sent to Italy to join the British 8th Army in December
of 1943. On January 17-18, 1944, they attacked across the Garigliano
River. A few hours later, during a German counterattack, Mr.
JEDWAB displayed characteristic leadership and valour when he
grabbed a Bren gun and drove off the enemy, "managing to kill
all the attacking Germans, including their sergeant, who, however,
prior to dying, [threw] a grenade, which wounded me. My head
wound is not too deep but caused a lot of bleeding."
For that action, Mr.
JEDWAB received Poland's Cross of Valour.
On May 17, 1944, Mr.
JEDWAB and his commandos, now part of the
2nd Polish Corps, were thrown into a five-month battle for Monte
Cassino, a mountainous stronghold that dominated Highway 6 to
Rome. The Poles were ordered to attack the adjacent Colle San
Angelo, which had to be taken before the Allies could assault
Monte Cassino itself.
Climbing up and down rocky ridges under fierce artillery and
mortar fire, Mr.
JEDWAB took command after his section suffered
four casualties. The Germans counterattacked and regained the
Colle, but the Poles took it back, except the summit. Two days
later, the Germans finally withdrew.
Mr. JEDWAB never forgot Monte Cassino, one of the fiercest campaigns
of the war. "[Bodies] were entangled in a deadly embrace everywhere.
The air was full of the stench of rotting bodies. That was Monte
Cassino, where today visitors have not the slightest idea of
the feelings or thoughts or terror of those who lived through
it."
During the Italian campaign, his troop lost 18 killed and 70
wounded, an 80-per-cent casualty rate. For their heroism, its
soldiers were awarded 114 Polish decorations. Over all, nearly
200,000 Poles fought in the Polish armed forces in the West.
But their enormous contribution to the war effort did not spare
them from a cruel snub: No Polish representatives were invited
to the victory parade held in London after the war in Europe
ended.
In June of 1945, Mr.
JEDWAB met his first wife, Irena, in Italy,
where she was a Polish officer in the 317th Transport Company.
They were married five months later after a "stormy" courtship.
"Somehow, a bond developed instantly. I found that I am happy
to be in her company. We lived... as the most happy couple,"
Mr. JEDWAB said. Irena died on August 9, 1978.
After earning a degree in textile engineering, Mr.
JEDWAB brought
his family to Canada from Britain in 1950. Over the next five
decades, he became a prominent executive in the textile industry.
Henryk JEDWAB was born on April 15, 1918, in Kalisz, Poland.
He died of a heart attack on September 14, 2005, in Ottawa. He
was 87. He leaves his daughter Elizabeth and his second wife,
Bozena. He was predeceased by his first wife, Irena, and his
brother Jakob.

JEDWAB o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.toronto_star 2005-08-24 published
SILVER,
Nathan▲
On Tuesday, August 23, 2005 at The Apotex Baycrest Centre in
his 91st year. Father and father-in-law of Linda and Lanny
BAER,
Lorna and Dr. Jack
JEDWAB,
Carla▲ and Harold
FINK, Dr.
Brian▲ and
Shirley SILVER,
Judi▲ and Iain
LANE. Predeceased by brothers Harold
and Sidney. Proud grandfather of eleven and great-grandfather
of six. At Torah Emeth, 1 Viewmount Avenue (Bathurst and Glencairn)
for service on Wednesday, August 24, 2005 at 11: 00 a.m. Interment
Community Section of Pardes Shalom Cemetery. Shiva 109 Mossgrove
Trail. If desired, memorial donations may be made to the Canadian
Cystic Fibrosis Foundation (Toronto Chapter) 416-932-3900.